Summary

Culture for Digital Transformation: helping the European cultural and creative sectors to fully take advantage of new technologies to enhance their competitiveness via Publisher Development Projects

Development Grants are awarded to members of IMPF; they are focussed on the international development of creators and professionals and must have a cross-border element of either a creative or business development nature, including composer / songwriter facing activities, or business, technological, data-related activities, staff development or other actions that develop either the publishing member companies’ administration or creative departments.

Objectives

• Projects shall have in their objectives the international development of creators and professionals, and must propose cross-border activities of either a creative or business development nature, including creative developments (including composer / songwriter facing activities) or business, technological, data-related activities, staff development or other activities that develop either the publishing member companies’ administration or creative departments
• Activities will be launched through an open call to IMPF members
• The main objectives linked to this work package is nurturing talent, prospering and generating jobs and growth, as well as publishing companies’ development
• Participant inclusion and gender balance / DEI objectives to be supervised
• Sustainability (will also feature online activities, residencies and reduced travelling)

IMPF will also work with its selected members via a call, to develop a software for rights registrations, royalty accounting and song management; this is a direct result of our work under Network 1’s Digital Development WP and will be hugely beneficial to the entire music publishing community.

Open Calls

An open call was sent to publisher members in March 2025 offering 10 grants worth €5000 each available to member companies in Creative Europe countries.  Application forms were sent out to members on 31 March 2025.  Participating companies are listed here below.

The following publishers members were awarded publisher development grants in 2025.

All Stars Music
AMV Publishing GmbH
Dachshund Music
Edition Björlund
Elements Music Oy
Faar Music OÜ
Freibank Musikverlags GmbH
Globe Art Publishing GmbH
Kew Music BV (Bucks Music Group)
Next Era Publishing
Nordic Music Society
PL Marquise Consulting (Extra Mile Music)
Playground Music Publishing
Pomitni
Steam Music Publishing
Tier Music Publishing OÜ

Activity

During the year the grant recipients have worked on projects including SongCamps for emerging artists, staff development through events and conferences.  A Summary Report by company is avalable to read here.

The IMPF online digital webinars were developed as part of the overall mission to enhance the capacity of Europe’s music publishing sector.  IMPF’s membership is responsible for the nurturing and development of the next generation of music publishers, to provide a framework enabling music publishers to develop their activities in a professional manner, through best practices in the music publishing industry.

Scope:

Six online digital webinars were developed to take place during the 2025 calendar year.  The following report outlines the details of each webinar, including the topic description, the expert panellists involved and a breakdown of the audience attendance.

Webinar No 1 – DDEX, 18 March 2025

On March 7, an invitation was delivered by email to IMPF members, Associate members, and Friends to attend the DDEX webinar.

Topic Description

DDEX is an open not-for-profit membership organization that facilitates digital media content. we will cover DDEX’s mission, operations, and various standards used in the music industry, including Electronic Release Notification, Media Enrichment and Description, and Digital Sales Reporting as well as recently published Musical Work Notification standard and its potential implementation by major publishers and CMOs.

Panel

On March 11, the webinar was held with Mark Isherwood, from the Digital Data Exchange (DDEX) Secretariat, in conversation with Nicole Schulze from IMPF. 

Audience

The webinar was attended by 68 people, of whom 50% were female and 50%      were male, from 16 different countries.

The webinar participants were sent a follow-up survey for feedback and suggestions. 87,5% (4 and 5 on a scale of 5) considered that the webinar fulfilled their expectations and considered it useful as a music publisher.

Webinar No 2 – New Roads to A&R, 18 March 2025

On the 12 March an invitation was delivered by email to IMPF members, Associate members and Friends to attend the New Road to A&R webinar.

Topic Description

A&R is at the heart of the music publishing ecosystem. It is a critical function that publishers perform all around the world — identifying authors and composers and helping them develop their creativity. With a constantly changing environment, dominated by social media, has the job changed? How is talent spotted nowadays? Is data now the key differentiator? And what are the skills that are necessary to be a good A&R in the 21st Century? Our panel of A&R experts will provide some answers.

Panel

On March 18 the online webinar was held with 5 speakers (4 female, 1 Male) and a moderator. Speakers included Sarah Liversedge Platz, Director A&R, Bucks Music (UK); Diane Pinet, Founder/CEO, Bloc-Notes Editions; Julie Hurwitz, Founder and CEO, Songbird Creative (USA); Jonna Lohi Peltola, Creative Manager & Head of LittleEgo Publishing at Edition Björlund (Sweden); Tim Toth, A&R, CTM (Netherlands). See the webinar event details on the IMPF website here.

Audience

The webinar was attended by 84 people, of whom 34.52% were female and 65.48%      were male, from 23 countries, the majority (15) from Europe

The webinar participants were sent a follow-up survey for feedback and suggestions. 85,5% (4 and 5 on a scale of 5) considered that the webinar fulfilled their expectations and considered it useful as a music publisher. 

Webinar No 3 – New Trends in Music Tech, 6 May 2025

On 25 April IMPF distributed an invitation via Mailchimp, to the New Trends in Music Tech webinar to IMPF Members, Associate Members and Friends.  See here. The invitation was delivered to 636 contacts from more than 50 countries worldwide.

Topic Description

Every day new technologies have an impact on the music sector, many of which contribute to providing new distribution platforms for music content, or support in the management of rights and content. What are the current trends in music tech? How could these new services impact the day-to-day work of music publishers? What happened to NFTs, VR/AR and other techs that were supposedly “revolutionary?” A group of tech developers, investors and experts will share their expertise on music tech with IMPF members.

Panel

On 06 May IMPF held the webinar New Trends in Music Tech with 4 speakers (2 female and 2 male) and a moderator. Speakers included Vickie Neuman, CEO, Cross Border Works, Patrick Ross, COO, Music Ally, Ric Salmon, Chief Growth Officer, ATC Group / Founder of livestream business Driift, Emily White, Music Tech Expert, Board member at Ampollo, former Senior Product Manager at Spotify. Topics discussed included past and current music tech trends (e.g., blockchain, NFTs, AR/VR, livestreaming), potential impacts of new technologies on music publishers. See the event details on the IMPF website here.

Audience

The webinar was attended by 32 people, of whom 37.50% female and 62.50% male      from 11 countries.

Webinar Participants were sent a follow-up survey for feedback and suggestions. 83.3% (4 and 5 on a scale of 5) considered that the webinar fulfilled their expectations and 66.7% considered it useful as a music publisher. 

Webinar No 4 – Games and Music – From Complexity to Opportunity, 15 July 2025

On 8 July an invitation via Mailchimp was issued to members, friends and supporters of IMPF to attend the Games and Music Webinar.  The invitation was delivered to 683 contacts from more than 50 countries worldwide. See here.

Topic Description

A follow-up session on unlocking new revenue streams for independent music publishers in gaming:

As a continuation of our previous discussions on music and gaming at the 2024 IMPF General Assemblies in Dublin, this session brings together independent music publishing and leading voices from the gaming sector to explore how independent music publishers can turn complexity into opportunity.  In our last discussion, we uncovered major challenges including inconsistent licensing practices, and a lack of shared language between industries. Now, we shift the focus toward solutions—how to move forward, collaborate effectively, and monetise music in games at scale.

What to expect:

• First-hand insights from leaders in the gaming sector.
• Guidance and fresh ideas for navigating the fast-evolving games ecosystem and building strategies for publishers to build sustainable partnerships and new revenue models.

See the event details here.

Panel

On 15 July the webinar Games and Music – From Complexity to Opportunity took place.  Speakers included: Sebastian Wolff, Founder & CEO, Materia Music, Per Strömbäck, spokesperson, Dataspelsbranschen (Swedish Games Industry), Allison Wright Clark, Music Supervisor and Luisa Rösner, Sync and Licensing Manager, ROBA.

Audience

The webinar was attended by 42 people, of whom 47.83% female, 50% male and 17% preferred not to say,      from 15 countries, with over 70% from Europe.

Webinar Participants were sent a follow-up survey for feedback and suggestions. 83.3% (4 and 5 on a scale of 5) considered that the webinar fulfilled their expectations and 82.3% considered it useful as a music publisher. 

Webinar No 5 – Mental Health Research and Guidelines for Independent Music Publishers, 2 December 2025.

On 14 November, an invitation was delivered by email to IMPF members, Associate members and Friends to attend the Mental Health Research and Guidelines for Independent Music Publishers webinar.  See invite here.

Topic description

The panel will present the findings of the report by Musgrave, G, Gross, S & Carney, D  “When Music Speaks: Mental Health and Next Steps in the Danish Music Industry”* and will then look at how we can address the collective mental health challenges within our community and what solutions we can propose.   We will draw on the findings from the Danish study to raise awareness of risk factors so as to help our publisher members and the songwriters they represent in improving mental health across the music ecosystem.  The work of songwriters and composers is the essential underpinning for the whole music industry and independent music publishers play a vital role in this creative ecosystem.  As awareness grows around mental health, we want to explore how our sector can respond collectively and constructively.

Panel

On 02 December the online webinar Mental Health Research and Guidelines for Independent Music Publishers took place.  Speakers included Catherine Harrison, President Revelios [Mental Health Works], lead researcher for Soundcheck: A Survey on Mental Health in the Canadian Music Industry; Chair of International Music Industry Care Collective; trusted advisor to Somerset Recovery and Roadie Clinic. George Musgrave, Associate Professor, Goldsmiths, University of London and co-author of When Music Speaks. Charlotte Paludan, Nordic Head of Synchronisation, Wise Music Group. Tobias Stenkjaer, Executive Chair, Danish Songwriters Guild (DPA) and Vice-Chair KODA and Dr. Metka Potočnik, Head of the Law Research Centre, School of Business and Law, University of Wolverhampton.  See the event details here.

Audience

The webinar was attended by 40 people, of whom 55% female, 42.50% male and 2.50% preferred not to say, from 18 countries, with over 60% from Europe. 

Webinar Participants were sent a follow-up survey for feedback and suggestions. 75% (4 and 5 on a scale of 5) considered that the webinar fulfilled their expectations and 75% considered it useful as a music publisher.

Webinar No 6 – Launch of the Global Market View 2025, 17 December 2025.

On 15 December, an invitation was delivered by email to IMPF members, Associate members and Friends to attend the Launch of the Global Market View 2025 webinar.

Topic Description

On 17 December, IMPF released its latest Global Market View, revealing that independent music publishers generated €2.7bn worldwide in 2024 — a 5.1% year-on-year increase — with the sector’s global market share holding firm at 26.3%. This continued growth and stability underline the resilience, innovation and international reach of the independent publishing community, which remains larger collectively than any single major. The report highlights strong gains driven by digital revenues, Europe’s sustained leadership in global collections, and rising momentum in regions such as Latin America and Asia. It also shines a light on key structural challenges — from royalty distribution gaps to the under-monetisation of non-pop genres — as well as the urgent need for a clear licensing framework in response to the rapid rise of AI-generated music. As the only publication dedicated exclusively to the independent publishing sector, IMPF’s Global Market View offers authoritative insight into the value, influence and future of the world’s independent music publishers.

Panel

On 17 December the webinar Launch of the Global Market View 2025 took place.  The webinar was opened by IMPF President Annette Barrett. During the webinar, Emmanuel Legrand, Legrand Network, presented key findings and trends from the report followed by a Q&A session with IMPF members, friends and colleagues. 

Audience

The webinar was attended by 68 people, of whom 44.12% female, 54.41% male and 1.47% preferred not to say, from 22 countries, with over 50% from Europe. 

Webinar Participants were sent a follow-up survey for feedback and suggestions. 81.2% (4 and 5 on a scale of 5) considered that the webinar fulfilled their expectations and 86.9% considered it useful as a music publisher.

Beneficiaries

We aim to nurture talent, aid prosperity by generating jobs and growth, through publishing companies’ business development.

Outcomes/Next Steps

All six online webinars were completed by 31 December 2025. The management team will commence planning the webinar dates for 2026 as well as developing topics for discussion at the webinars.  A summary report on the Development Grant activities during 2025 is available here.